Blood Doping

One of the ways athletes can improve their performance is by blood boosting. Blood boosting has been around for about 40 years and has been widely abused by athletes. But because of the secrecy surrounding it, not many people are aware of it.

Unlike anabolic steroids which are eaten or injected, blood boosting entails a lot more. The technique of blood doping requires the help of health care professionals.

Blood boosting is essentially the administration of blood or blood products to an athlete to boost performance. Alternative names for blood boosting are blood doping or blood packing.

In the world of sports, blood boosting is illegal and is banned. Many athletes in the past have used this technique to boost their performance.

The technique is extremely hard to detect but the Sporting agencies are developing newer methods to screen for this practice.

Blood doping and Epogen

EPO has had a long history of doping. It is widely believed that the first doping scandal occurred in the 70s. Over the past few decades almost every sport has had an athlete who has been caught doping with EPO. EPO doping has occurred in endurance sports, long distance running, cross country skinning and even billiards.

Since EPO can increase the hemoglobin and oxygen carrying capacity, it has been a favorite drug of abuse among individuals who participate in endurance events. The EPO is injected for a few weeks and the results are obvious in less than a month.

Most athletes inject the EPO a few months prior to a sporting event. The injections are then stopped at least a few weeks prior to the actual meeting to avoid detection. There have also been isolated cases of complications in athletes who have abused EPO for prolonged periods. The reason for the complication is use of excessively high doses of EPO. The EPO continues to stimulate the red blood cells which than clog up blood vessels in the brain and heart. This can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Most of the EPO available today for illegal use is either stolen from pharmacies or obtained from Mexico or Europe. In some cases, it is illegally prescribed by physicians over the internet.

In the 1990s, EPO was finally banned by all sporting organizations. Newer and more sensitive tests have been developed to identify EPO in the urine and blood. In any sports, the urine is first checked for EPO. If there is a hint that EPO is present in the urine, the blood is tested for confirmation.

The tests for EPO today are extremely sensitive and widely accepted by the scientific community. There is absolutely no risk of getting a falsely positive test.

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History of Epogen

In the 1980s, it was realized that Epogen could make a significant difference in the hematocrit when administered to patients with anemia. This was followed up by its use to treat anemia in cancer patients and HIV patients treated with Zidovudine. Epogen is only administered 1-2 times a week to maintain a normal hematocrit. While many advocate that EPO should be given for other anemias, the overall consensus is that not only is EPO expensive but it may be more harmful when given empirically for other medical disorders.

EPO has been around for at least 3 decades and has been widely used in millions of individuals. It's safety and efficacy have been well documented. It is mainly used to treat anemia in patients who have chronic renal failure. When Epogen is administered, the body starts to make red blood cells and this can be monitored by measuring the hemoglobin or hematocrit levels.

Numerous studies have shown that Epogen can reduce the need for blood transfusions. Because of its expense, EPO is not given to every patient. Only after appropriate evaluation and consultation is EPO given to certain patients

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